Spotlight Transnational/Comparative

Trans Pacific Partnership Sparks Fascinating Discussion about Future of Pacific Economy

Anonymous — Thu, 26 May 2016 17:01:09 +0000

Trans Pacific Partnership Sparks Fascinating Discussion about Future of Pacific Economy Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/26/2016 - 11:01

The Transpacific Partnership (TPP) has received attention from Presidential candidates, the news media, and the Boulder community, with letters to the editor and columns in the local paper at least weekly. Since many of the TPP partners are Asian countries, it is appropriate that CAS organized a roundtable discussion of this controversial agreement. The panelists represented various perspectives and constituencies including organized labor (Sam Gilchrist, Executive Director, Colorado AFL-CIO), environmental groups (Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Senior Campaign Representative, Responsible Trade Program, Sierra Club), and international investors (Tyler Rauert, Partner, Polaris Law Group, Denver). In addition, Arts and Sciences College Professor of Distinction Steve Chan presented Asian perspectives based on his expertise in international political economy, and Professor of Distinction Keith Maskus highlighted the main controversies of the TPP set them in the context recent decades of globalization.

The CU faculty and students were well represented in the audience of eighty people, as were members of the community, who were particularly eager to discuss the mechanism in the TPP agreement for resolving state-investor disputes. In addition, worker protections, environmental concerns, and impacts of such trade agreements on income inequality were issues highlighted by the panelists and the audience. This event provided an outstanding example of CAS’ outreach to the community and to the rest of the campus with a high-level discussion of a policy issue of great concern to Asia and the Americas.

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Dr. Manalansan IV Draws Large Crowd for His Talk on Undocumented Queer Immigrants

Anonymous — Mon, 02 May 2016 16:03:46 +0000

Dr. Manalansan IV Draws Large Crowd for His Talk on Undocumented Queer Immigrants Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/02/2016 - 10:03

On February 11, 2016, Professor Martin Manalansan IV, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, delivered a lecture at CU-Boulder to a standing room only crowd with HALE 230, seating 85, packed to capacity.

Professor Manalansan’s talk, “(Un)moved: The Paradoxes of Disaffection among Undocumented Queer Immigrants,” examined the everyday experiences of six working class undocumented queer immigrants of color living in a cramped and messy apartment in New York City. Engaging in an ethnography of affect and the senses, his work on the quotidian struggles of undocumented queer immigrants in the US drew attention to the paradoxical, incoherent, and messy daily maneuvers these subjects perform as they struggle with social exclusion, squalor, and daily survival. Focusing on theoretical tensions within queer studies, such as normativity and antinormativity, order and disorder, precarity and fabulosity, Professor Manalansan’s theorization of queer as mess provided a window into the role of affective performances and bodily techniques for those living messy and seemingly impossible lives in the margins.

The talk was hosted by the Department of Women and Gender Studies and co-sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies as part of its seminar series on the theme, “Transcultural Asia.”

Written by Emmanuel David, Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies and Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Asian Studies

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CAS Brings Informational Panel on the New Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement this Wednesday

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:38:03 +0000

CAS Brings Informational Panel on the New Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement this Wednesday Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/29/2016 - 10:38

CAS is pleased to bring "Trans Pacific Partnership: What it Means for Asia and the Americas" to CU on Wednesday, March 2. This will be a panel discussion of the environmental labor, legal, and economic implications of the TPP.

Panel members include

Keith Maskus, College Professor of Distinction, Department of Economics, CU Boulder
Steve Chan, College Professor of Distinction, Department of Political Science, CU Boulder
Tyler Rauert, Partner, Polaris Law Group, Denver Colorado
Sam Gilchrist, Executive Director, Colorado AFL-CIO, Denver, Colorado
Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Senior Campaign Representative, Responsible Trade Program, Sierra Club, Denver, Colorado

There will be an opening reception from 5:00-5:30, and the panel discussion will continue until 7:00. Both the reception and the discussion will be held in Hale 270 on the CU-Boulder campus.

Sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies, the Department of Economics, the Department of Political Science, and the Program on International Affairs.

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Annual Asian Language Night Featured Student Performances in CU's Six Asian Language Programs

Anonymous — Tue, 26 May 2015 17:07:17 +0000

Annual Asian Language Night Featured Student Performances in CU's Six Asian Language Programs Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/26/2015 - 11:07

Around 150 students at CU gathered on Wednesday, April 8th, to take part in the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations’ annual event, “Asian Language Night.” There were total of 17 performances (presentations, live skits, videos, singing, dancing, fashion show) done by the students who are learning Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Japanese, and Korean. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and they went home with full stomach. The event was a great success!

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The Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations' Two-Day Conference was a Resounding Success

Anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2015 16:51:44 +0000

The Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations' Two-Day Conference was a Resounding Success Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/18/2015 - 10:51

The University of Colorado, Boulder’s Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations held the “Transnationalism and its Discontents: Exploring Critical Approaches to Border-space” conference from March 13th to 15th. The conference was organized with the generous support of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, the Center for Asian Studies, the Association for Asian Studies Northeast Asia Council, the Center for the Humanities and the Arts, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and the Japan Foundation. The conference organizing committee was pleased to welcome acclaimed author of Japanese and German, Tawada Yōko, as the keynote speaker.

Tawada's prolific career stretches decades and continents. She has published twenty-five volumes in Japanese and twenty-two volumes in German. Throughout her work, Tawada has challenged physical, artistic, and social borders in novel and enlightening ways. She is the winner of multiple awards for literature, including the Akutagawa, Murasaki Shikibu, and Yomiuri prizes in Japan, as well as the Adelbert-von-Chamisso Prize and the Goethe Medal in Germany. She has been writer-in-residence at Stanford University, Cornell University, and NYU. The conference also featured a documentary film screening, a conversation between Tawada Yōko and Levy Hideo, and presentations by nineteen scholars from around the world.

The conference opened on Friday with a screening of the international documentary “A Home Within Foreign Borders,” followed by a Q&A with the producer of the film, Suga Keijirō, and the focus of the documentary, Levy Hideo. Saturday featured three paper panels on topics ranging from colonialism to sound poetry to hip-hop in Japan. Tawada and Levy also spoke on the topic of transnational writing and the implications of language, modernization, and politics on contemporary transnationalism and art. Saturday’s events concluded with Tawada Yōko reading selections of her prose and poetry in both Japanese and German. She read to a packed-house that often burst into laughter at the playful joyousness of her works. Sunday featured panels on translation, comparative studies, and the direction of transnational studies moving forward. The conference was a wonderful success and the organizing committee hopes that it will engender a new, critical approach to transnational studies not only in the fields of Japanese and German literature, but also in cultural and media studies, translation, and post-colonialism.

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2015 CU Boulder Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference a Success!

Anonymous — Mon, 04 May 2015 19:21:28 +0000

2015 CU Boulder Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference a Success! Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/04/2015 - 13:21

This year’s CU Boulder Asian Studies Graduate Student (CUBASGA) conference was an enormous success. The conference took place February 27th and 28th and featured two distinguished keynote speakers: Dr. Michael Emmerich of the University of California, Los Angeles and Dr. Ding Xiang Warner of Cornell University. Conference participants also included eight visiting graduate students from academic institutions around the United States who joined a number of CU Boulder graduate students in presenting on topics in East Asian studies, from poetry and literature to art history and dance. Faculty and students, as well as members of the community attended the seven panels. With an average attendance of 35 people, the question and answer sessions that followed each presentation generated rich dialogue and explored numerous interesting academic avenues.

The primary goal of the CUBASGA conference each year is to foster interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange with students and faculty from around the United States as well as to encourage the academic, professional and personal development of students and faculty at CU Boulder. The overwhelmingly positive response to this year’s conference is just one indication that the conference achieved its goal and so much more. Dr. Warner’s keynote presentation, “When Stone Speaks: Challenges and Opportunities for 21st-century Sinology,” was captivating and addressed challenges relevant to any student in the field of Asian or literary studies. Advice about and encouragement to follow your sources to their logical conclusions without attempting to make them fit a preconceived mold is just one of the many topics touched upon by Dr. Warner. Dr. Emmerich’s keynote address, “World Literature as Tale of Genji,” was dynamic and engaging. Dr. Emmerich was able to connect his presentation with a number of concepts touched upon in earlier presentations, which generated splendid conversation on cross-cultural representations of texts and other cultural artifacts. His research on the global flows of texts shows the many influences at work in the canonization of world literature.

The CUBASGA conference is an annual event held in cooperation with the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations and the Center for Asian Studies. To these organizations and our conference sponsors, the CU Boulder Asian Studies Graduate Association would like to extend its deepest gratitude for their generous support. Please join us next year for the 2016 CUBASGA conference.

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"Mediating Asia": 2015 CAS Annual Symposium This Friday

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 19:44:25 +0000

"Mediating Asia": 2015 CAS Annual Symposium This Friday Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/16/2015 - 13:44

This Friday is the 4th annual CAS symposium. In this day-long conference, we will continue to examine our year-long theme, "Mediating Asia." A great deal of our current knowledge about Asia comes to us via traditional media channels (such as print & broadcast journalism, feature films, and documentaries) and, increasingly, via less formal online channels such as blogs and social media networking sites. While Asian scholars based outside of Asia have, for some time, been engaged in critical readings of these ‘mediated’ representations of Asia, the rapid rise of Asian media industries within Asia has resulted in more diffuse representations of Asia than ever before. With ‘Mediating Asia’, the Center for Asian Studies seeks to explore the implications of these increasingly diffuse, multi-mediated representations of Asia. We take a broad definition of media to include not only print, broadcast, film, and internet formats, but also arts and literature, insofar as they might also be viewed as representations of Asia. How does Asia represent itself through Asian media? How is the idea of ‘Asia’ as a coherent identity reimagined and represented through Asian media? What sorts of tensions, dialogues, contradictions, and collaborations exist between Asian and non-Asian media? In what ways do Asian media ‘respond’ to non-Asian representations of Asia? How are different Asian peoples, places, or histories imagined, marketed, consumed through new Asian media channels? On Friday, April 17, we will examine this concept of "Mediating Asia" in detail through two keynote addresses and four panel presentations. At 10:15, Endy Bayuni of The Jakarta Post will begin the symposium with his talk entitled, "Mediating Indonesia: The Slow Emergence of a Young Nation." Bayuni is a senior editor and former chief editor of The Jakarta Post, where he has worked since 1991. Bayuni regularly writes columns commenting on Indonesian domestic politics, including Islam and foreign policy conduct. Melissa Chan will follow at 11:00 with her keynote address, "Reporting from China: Media, Human Rights, and the Authoritarian State." Chan is a San Francisco-based correspondent for Al Jazeera America. She was the correspondent in China for five years, from 2007 until 2012, where she covered the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, and the 2009 riots in Urumqi. In addition to our keynote addresses, this year's conference will also feature three panels on "Media and Environmental Politics in Asia," "Authoritarian States, Nationalism, and the Unruly Media," and Identity, Culture, and Branding." Isabel Hilton and Tom Yulsman will present on the "Media and Environmental Politics in Asia" panel, beginning after lunch at 1:00. Isabel Hilton is the CEO and Editor of chinadialogue.net, an independent, non-profit organization based in London and Beijing. As a journalist working for multiple news agencies, Hilton has reported from China, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Joining Hilton will be Tom Yulsman, Associate Professor in the College of Media, Communication and Information, where he co-directs the Center for Environmental Journalism. Then at 1:45, Michael Curtin, Timothy Weston, and Rianne Subijanto will present the panel on "Authoritarian States, Nationalism, and the Unruly Media." Michael Curtin is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. His research interests include globalization, cultural geography, media history, new media, and documentary. The second presenter, Timothy Weston, is an Associate Professor of History and the Associate Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His current research focuses on journalists and journalism in modern China. Joining Curtin and Weston will be Rianne Subijanto, Ph.D. student in Communication in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research examines the birth and growth of the communist movement in the late colonial period of the Dutch East Indies from the perspective of communication studies. Beginning at 3:00, the third panel, "Identity, Culture, and Branding," will be presented by Mark Bender, Hiromu Nagahara, and Hun Shik Kim. Mark Bender is an Associate Professor of East Asian Studies and a Core Faculty member of the Center for Folklore Studies at Ohio State University. He specializes in traditional performance and performance-connected literature of China, including local Han and ethnic minority culture. Hiromu Nagahara is an Assistant Professor of History and the Cecil and Ida Green Career Development Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He studies the history of modern Japan, and his research interests include the history of media and popular culture in the twentieth century. An Associate Professor of Journalism in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder, Hun Shik Kim will be the third presenter on this panel. His research interests include broadcast journalism, telecommunication systems and policies, international communication, and war and conflict reporting. The symposium will be concluded with final panel at 4:00 that will offer concluding observations about "Mediating Asia" as presented through the course of the keynote and panel presentations. Presenting on the panel will be Tim Oakes, Stewart Hoover, and Nabil Echchaibi. Tim Oakes is a Professor of Geography and the Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research interests include regional cultural development, culture industries, tourism, heritage, and regional and place-based identities. Stewart Hoover is a Professor of Media Studies in the College of Media, Communication and Information, and the Director of the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research centers on media audience and reception studies rooted in cultural studies, anthropology, and qualitative sociology. Nabil Echchaibi is an Associate Professor in the College of Media, Communication and Information, and the Chair of Media Studies and the Associate Director of the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research examines how identity, religion, and media shape and reflect modern religious subjectivities among Muslims in the Middle East and in diaspora. The "Mediating Asia" Symposium will be held in the British and Irish Studies Room on the Fifth Floor of Norlin LIbrary, and welcoming remarks will begin at 10:00 a.m. Sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies; the Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities; the College of Media, Communication and Information; the Center for Environmental Journalism; and the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture.

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Three Panels that will Challenge Us to Think Critically about "Mediating Asia"

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 18:06:19 +0000

Three Panels that will Challenge Us to Think Critically about "Mediating Asia" Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/15/2015 - 12:06

This Friday is the 4th annual CAS symposium. In this day-long conference, we will continue to examine our year-long theme, "Mediating Asia."

In addition to our keynote addresses, this year's conference will also feature three panels on "Media and Environmental Politics in Asia," "Authoritarian States, Nationalism, and the Unruly Media," and Identity, Culture, and Branding."

Isabel Hilton and Tom Yulsman will present on the "Media and Environmental Politics in Asia" panel, beginning after lunch at 1:00. Isabel Hilton is the CEO and Editor of chinadialogue.net, an independent, non-profit organization based in London and Beijing. As a journalist working for multiple news agencies, Hilton has reported from China, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Joining Hilton will be Tom Yulsman, Associate Professor in the College of Media, Communication and Information, where he co-directs the Center for Environmental Journalism.

Then at 1:45, Michael Curtin, Timothy Weston, and Rianne Subijanto will present the panel on "Authoritarian States, Nationalism, and the Unruly Media." Michael Curtin is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. His research interests include globalization, cultural geography, media history, new media, and documentary. The second presenter, Timothy Weston, is an Associate Professor of History and the Associate Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His current research focuses on journalists and journalism in modern China. Joining Curtin and Weston will be Rianne Subijanto, Ph.D. student in Communication in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research examines the birth and growth of the communist movement in the late colonial period of the Dutch East Indies from the perspective of communication studies.

Beginning at 3:00, the third panel, "Identity, Culture, and Branding," will be presented by Mark Bender, Hiromu Nagahara, and Hun Shik Kim. Mark Bender is an Associate Professor of East Asian Studies and a Core Faculty member of the Center for Folklore Studies at Ohio State University. He specializes in traditional performance and performance-connected literature of China, including local Han and ethnic minority culture. Hiromu Nagahara is an Assistant Professor of History and the Cecil and Ida Green Career Development Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He studies the history of modern Japan, and his research interests include the history of media and popular culture in the twentieth century. An Associate Professor of Journalism in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder, Hun Shik Kim will be the third presenter on this panel. His research interests include broadcast journalism, telecommunication systems and policies, international communication, and war and conflict reporting.

The symposium will be concluded with final panel at 4:00 that will offer concluding observations about "Mediating Asia" as presented through the course of the keynote and panel presentations. Presenting on the panel will be Tim Oakes, Stewart Hoover, and Nabil Echchaibi. Tim Oakes is a Professor of Geography and the Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research interests include regional cultural development, culture industries, tourism, heritage, and regional and place-based identities. Stewart Hoover is a Professor of Media Studies in the College of Media, Communication and Information, and the Director of the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research centers on media audience and reception studies rooted in cultural studies, anthropology, and qualitative sociology. Nabil Echchaibi is an Associate Professor in the College of Media, Communication and Information, and the Chair of Media Studies and the Associate Director of the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research examines how identity, religion, and media shape and reflect modern religious subjectivities among Muslims in the Middle East and in diaspora.

The "Mediating Asia" Symposium will be held in the British and Irish Studies Room on the Fifth Floor of Norlin LIbrary, and welcoming remarks will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies; the Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities; the College of Media, Communication and Information; the Center for Environmental Journalism; and the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture.

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Endy Bayuni and Melissa Chan to Give Keynote Addresses at Upcoming Mediating Asia Symposium

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 19:20:57 +0000

Endy Bayuni and Melissa Chan to Give Keynote Addresses at Upcoming Mediating Asia Symposium Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/14/2015 - 13:20

This Friday is the 4th annual CAS symposium. In this day-long conference, we will continue to examine our year-long theme, "Mediating Asia."

A great deal of our current knowledge about Asia comes to us via traditional media channels (such as print & broadcast journalism, feature films, and documentaries) and, increasingly, via less formal online channels such as blogs and social media networking sites. While Asian scholars based outside of Asia have, for some time, been engaged in critical readings of these ‘mediated’ representations of Asia, the rapid rise of Asian media industries within Asia has resulted in more diffuse representations of Asia than ever before. With ‘Mediating Asia’, the Center for Asian Studies seeks to explore the implications of these increasingly diffuse, multi-mediated representations of Asia. We take a broad definition of media to include not only print, broadcast, film, and internet formats, but also arts and literature, insofar as they might also be viewed as representations of Asia. How does Asia represent itself through Asian media? How is the idea of ‘Asia’ as a coherent identity reimagined and represented through Asian media? What sorts of tensions, dialogues, contradictions, and collaborations exist between Asian and non-Asian media? In what ways do Asian media ‘respond’ to non-Asian representations of Asia? How are different Asian peoples, places, or histories imagined, marketed, consumed through new Asian media channels?

On Friday, April 17, we will examine this concept of "Mediating Asia" in detail through two keynote addresses and four panel presentations. At 10:15, Endy Bayuni of The Jakarta Post will begin the symposium with his talk entitled, "Mediating Indonesia: The Slow Emergence of a Young Nation." Bayuni is a senior editor and former chief editor of The Jakarta Post, where he has worked since 1991. Bayuni regularly writes columns commenting on Indonesian domestic politics, including Islam and foreign policy conduct.

Melissa Chan will follow at 11:00 with her keynote address, "Reporting from China: Media, Human Rights, and the Authoritarian State." Chan is a San Francisco-based correspondent for Al Jazeera America. She was the correspondent in China for five years, from 2007 until 2012, where she covered the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, and the 2009 riots in Urumqi.

The "Mediating Asia" Symposium will be held in the British and Irish Studies Room on the Fifth Floor of Norlin LIbrary, and welcoming remarks will begin at 10:00 a.m.

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Join CAS and the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations for Asian Language Night!

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 18:08:09 +0000

Join CAS and the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations for Asian Language Night! Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/06/2015 - 12:08

It's time for the annual Asian Language Night. This Wednesday, April 8, join the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations in celebrating the languages and cultures of Asia with student performances and food. There will be presentations from each of the six language programs offered through the department: Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Japanese, and Korean.

Presentations will run from 5:15 - 7:45pm in HUMN 1B50, including an intermission, and there will be a reception in the HUMN 1st Floor Lobby from 7:45-8:45pm. This event is free and open to the public.

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